The present invention relates to an alarm for a grain bin system or other electrical equipment. More specifically the invention relates to an improved alarm system that senses when a cable supplying power or control to a grain bin or associated equipment has been removed or tampered with and triggers an alarm or notification to a remote user.
Grain storage facilities are commonplace wherever crops are produced in the United States and abroad. These facilities typically include one or more storage buildings, often referred to as “grain bins,” in addition to equipment for handling and maintaining the stored grain, such as ventilation fans, heaters, pumps and the like. In order to power the equipment, large diameter cables (typically made from copper) are run from each piece of equipment to an electrical panel located at the facility. The cables are often run in underground conduits for ease of installation and increased safety.
With the rising price of copper, theft of these power cables is becoming a more prevalent problem worldwide. Since a typical grain bin system includes multiple long cable runs, each comprising heavy gauge copper wire conductors, their value on the scrap market makes them an attractive target for burglars. Additionally, because grain bins are typically located in rural areas, theft can take place out in the open with little probability anyone will ever witness the crime. Replacement costs for burglarized cables can reach into the thousands or tens of thousands of dollars including labor.
The steps required to steal a cable from a grain bin can be quite time consuming. First, the electrical panel must be opened to de-energize the cables. Then the ends of the cable must be disconnected from their termination points. Once the ends are free, the thieves will often pull the cable out of the conduit using a chain or rope tied to a vehicle, as substantial pulling force is often required. Since separate conduits are normally run to each piece of powered equipment, the process must be repeated multiple times to steal all of the cables at the facility. What is needed is a system for notifying a remote user or otherwise triggering a notification when a burglar has initiated the process so that he/she may be deterred and/or caught before all of the cables have been removed.
Prior attempts to address grain bin cable theft have suffered from significant drawbacks. For example, surveillance cameras have been used to monitor the areas around the grain bin. However, would require prohibitively expensive constant monitoring by personnel to detect when thieves are present. Other devices require a dedicated external source to power the alarm, which increases cost and allows thieves to disable the alarm by disconnecting the external power source. The present invention seeks to address at least these problems in addition to others.